Stone artifacts up to 320,000 years old were discovered in the Tashkent region.

Stone artifacts dating back 320,000 years have been discovered in the Tashkent region.

The Paleolithic site of Arkutsoy, located in the Bostanlyk district of the Tashkent region, could potentially be considered the oldest archaeological site in Uzbekistan. Preliminary estimates of the age of the stone artifacts found there range from 280,000 to 320,000 years.

The research is being conducted jointly by specialists from the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Systematic study of this site began in 2024. Excavations and observations are currently underway at three different sites.

Scientists have discovered human-made stone artifacts in three ancient buried soil layers. This indicates that the Arkutsoy area was repeatedly used by ancient people during different historical periods. Of particular significance are the artifacts found in the third layer, which, according to preliminary geological and paleoclimatic comparisons, formed approximately 280,000–320,000 years ago.

If the dating is confirmed by independent laboratory studies, these finds may indicate that the territory of the Tashkent Oasis and modern-day Uzbekistan was inhabited by human communities as early as the late stages of the Early Paleolithic. If so, Arkutsoy would become the oldest known archaeological site in the country.

It was previously reported that the remains of an ancient structure and a unique wall painting depicting tulips and white flowers were discovered at the Boburtepa archaeological site in the Kashkadarya region.